Flue-cleaner.



v PATENTED FEB. 24,1903. H. A. RUGGLES &'c. T. 'HOWER.

PLUE- CLEANER. I APPLI OATION FILED MAR. 22, 1902.

no MODEL.

TH: NORRIS PEYERSWOH PMOTO LH'HQ, WASHINGTON. D c.

o ing-nut.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. I

HARRY LVAH RUeeLEs, or MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, AND OLEMUEL TYLER HOWER, onRHODES, IOWA, ASSIGNORS TO LEVI A. RAVEN,

OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

FLUE-CLE'ANjERL- SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.721,608, dated February 24, 1903.

' Application filed March 22, 1902; $erial No. 99,476. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, HARRY ALVAH RUG- GLES, residing at Milwaukee, inthe county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, and GLEMUEL TYLER HOWER,residing at Rhodes, in the county of Marshall and State of Iowa,citizens of the United States, have invented a new and usefulFlue-Cleaner, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in flue-cleaners.

The object of the present invention is to I improve the construction offlue-cleaners and to provide a simpleand inexpensive one de- I 5 signedfor cleaning either water tubes or smoke-fines and capable of shearing0d the carbon, soot, or other crust accumulating on the interior of thetubes.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of :thischaracter in which the knives or blades will operate on the entire.

' surface of the tubes or flues and which will be self-sharpening andadapted to be readily introduced into and removed from the tube 2.5without liabilityof' being injured.

A further object 'ofthe invention is to en able the knives or blades tobe readily adjusted' to suit the diameter of the dues or tubes to becleaned. v

The invention consists'in the construction and novel combination andarrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims hereto appended.

In the drawings, Figure l is an elevation of a flue-cleaner. constructedin accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is alongitudinal sectionalview of the same. Fig. 3 is anend view. Fig. 4 is a detail'view of theadjust- Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts inallthe figures of the drawings. v

1 designates a shaft provided with an outer threaded portion 2 andhaving a polygonal enlargement 3 arranged between its ends, and providedwith fiat side faces to which are secured the inner ends of straightlongitudinal springs .4. The springs, which are constructed of straightstrips of resilient metal, are secured to the en1argement'3 of the shaftby suitable fastening devices, and have smooth inner faces and areadapted to be flexed or bent outward by an adjusting-nut 5, and arecapable of springing inward when the nut is withdrawn to arrangediagonallydisposed laterally-extending blades 6 the desired distancefrom the shaft to provide a flue-cleaner of the desired diameter. Thenut, which is provided with wings 7, has a disk or ring 8, connectedwith the body pertion of the nut by parallel bars or portions 9,

located at opposite sides of the shaft, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 2of the accompanying drawings. The winged nut is adapted to be rotated tomove the engaging portion or disk 8 inward andoutward to expand and icontract the flue-cleaner. The body portion of the nut 5 is locatedadjacent to the outer end of the shaft when the engaging disk or washeris located near the outer ends of the springs, and by this arrangementthe nut is located within convenient reach of the op erator and may bereadily adjusted. The knives or blades 6 are curved longitudinally toconform to the configuration of the interior of a tube or flue and theyare also curved transversely in the reverse directionto present aconcave outer face 10 to form sharp longitudinal side edges and endedges and to cause the knives or blades to be self-sharpening. As theknives or blades become Worn the concave outer faces will preserve thesharp edges and prevent the knives or cutters from becoming dull. Thelongitudinal curve of the knives or cutters presents alongitudinalconvex exterior to fit the tubes, and the said knives or blades overlapor extend beyond the ends of each other, whereby they are adapted tooperate on the entire surface of a tube or flue. They are "adapted whenmoved longitudinally through atubeor flue to shear the crust formed bythe products of combustion or by'water from the inner surfaces of thetubes Without injuring the latter. The knives or cutters are provided attheir inner sides with approximately centrally-arranged lugs 11, havingrecesses 12 which are curved longitudinally and which are provided withsmooth outer edges 15, adapted to enable the device to be readilyintroduced into a tube or flue without liability of injuring the knivesor cutters. The guards are preferably formed integral with the knives orcutters; but they may be connected with the same in any other suitablemanner. The shaft is provided at its inner end with a bell 16,presenting a tapered or convex exterior and adapted to center thefluecleaner and guided into a tube or flue after it has been pushedentirely through the same, thereby preventing any liability of the innerends of the blades striking the wall or sheet of a boiler. The bell maybe screwed or otherwise secured to the shaft, and a socket 17 is alsofixed to the same to enable the device to be readily coupled to a rod.

It will be seen that the flue-cleaner is exceedingly simple andinexpensive in construction, that the curved blades which conform to theconfiguration of the tube or flue overlap, so as to operate on theentire surface of the flue, and that they are transversely curved topresent an exterior convex face to provide self-sharpening blades. Itwill also be seen that the flue-cleaner is readily adjusted to contractand expand it and that the blades or cutters are fully protected andprevented from being injured when the device is being introduced into atube or flue.

What we claim is-- 1. A device of the class described comprising ashaft, longitudinally disposed outwardly-diverging springs secured attheir inner ends to the shaft, the transversely-disposedobliquely-arranged bowed blades having concaved outer faces and providedwith reversely-tapered ends, said blades having both of their side edgesarranged to engage a flue, the longitudinally-disposed guards formedintegral with the blades and extending outward from the same at pointsbetween the ends thereof, and means for adjusting the blades,substantially as described.

2. A device of the class described comprising a shaft, longitudinallydisposed outwardly-diverging springs secured at their inner ends to theshaft, the transversely-disposed obliquely-arranged overlapping bowedblades having concave outer faces and provided with integrallongitudinally-disposed guards extending beyond the shaft, and anadjusting-nut arranged wholly within the guards and consisting of athreaded portion mounted on the shaft, 3. disk'having an opening toreceive the shaft and engaging the springs, and rods or bars arrangedparallel with the shaft and connecting the disk with the threadedportion of the nut, substantially as described.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own we have heretoaffixed our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

HARRY ALVAI-I RUGGLES. CLEMUEL TYLER HOWER.

Witnesses: v

SAMUEL B. KING, HARRY R. HURLBUT.

